Givanni Damico | November 2nd, 2019
I had an absolutely atrocious week last week. We’ll leave it at that since not many people saw my picks last week. I’m going to attempt to recover by giving you nine “locks” this week. Just a reminder, I am not a professional better and you shouldn’t bet your life savings on my picks. Anything can happen in football as we saw last week as most of my locks ended up not covering. If I can call myself out for doing well, I have to be able to admit when I was just wrong.
Oregon -4 at USC
While this is a conference battle on enemy turf, Oregon’s defense has performed well this year. They’ve kept their last couple of conference games too close for comfort, but teams like Washington are more talented than USC. Herbert, Verdell, and co. should be able to get it done this week.
Kansas State -5 at Kansas
No, I’m not jumping on the K-State bandwagon because they beat Oklahoma. I just like this spread in a matchup against a bipolar Kansas team. Texas didn’t cover when they played Kansas, but Kansas State has shown resilience, and I expect them to be able to put away their interstate rival. This is one of the locks that I’d be slightly more cautious when betting on it.
UCF -22.5 vs. Houston
I really don’t love picking teams to cover such large spreads because as I said earlier, anything can happen, but UCF has been putting up 46.6 points per game while only allowing 21.1. Houston has been scoring 30.9 while giving up 31.1. Both of UCF’s losses were one-possession games, and when they win, they win big. They’re at home against a team with no defense. This should be an easy cover for UCF.
FIU -17.5 vs. Old Dominion
Old Dominion has played terrible football. FIU is coming off of an embarrassing loss to Middle Tennessee State and is out for vengeance at home against a poor football program. All the signs point towards a big win.
Liberty -23 at UMass
Liberty screwed me last week against Rutgers, so why not pick them again, right? UMass is allowing over 50 points per game. The only team they’ve beat is Akron in an unconvincing fashion. If Liberty doesn’t cover, I take no blame for telling you to bet on them because UMass is garbage.
Bowling Green -4.5 vs. Akron
Akron is an 0-8 football team that scores just over 10 points per game. While BGSU is no NY6 Bowl contender, they’re at home and should be able to beat the Zips by a touchdown. Be careful here.
Coastal Carolina +1 vs. Troy
When looking at who Troy has played this year, their only wins came against Campbell, Akron, and Southern Alabama. Whenever they’re presented with a challenge, they fold. Coastal Carolina plays tough football and wins this game.
Indiana -10 vs. Northwestern
While Northwestern’s defense is good, their offense is the complete opposite. I don’t expect Indiana to put up more than 30 points, but they should be able to win by a score such as 24-3.
Hawaii -2 vs. Fresno State
Air Force is the only team that has been able to beat Hawaii at home this year. The jetlag is tough for opposing teams and Fresno State as a program doesn’t compare to Air Force. Cole MacDonald leads his team to a blowout victory and easily covers.
Game Picks
8 Georgia -6 at 6 Florida
My Pick: Georgia
Georgia might not cover the spread in this game, but they’ll pull it off thanks to D’Andre Swift and their defense. I expect this to be a hard-nosed game of football where Georgia wins by a field goal courtesy of Rodrigo “Hot Rod” Blankenship.
14 Michigan -21 at Maryland
My Pick: Michigan
NC State at 23 Wake Forest -8
My Pick: Wake Forest
Houston at UCF
My Pick: UCF
Buffalo -1 at Eastern Michigan
My Pick: Buffalo
Northern Illinois -1.5 at Central Michigan
My Pick: Central Michigan
Nebraska -3.5 at Purdue
My Pick: Purdue
Boston College at Syracuse -3
My Pick: Syracuse
UTSA at Texas A&M -38
My Pick: Texas A&M
ODU at Florida International -17.5
My Pick: FIU
Liberty -23 at UMass
My Pick: Liberty
Akron at BGSU -4.5
My Pick: BGSU
Virginia Tech at Notre Dame -17.5
My Pick: Notre Dame
Troy -1 at Coastal Carolina
My Pick: CCU
22 Kansas State -5 at Kansas
My Pick: KSU
Arkansas State -1.5 at ULM
My Pick: Arkansas State
Marshall -11.5 at Rice
My Pick: Marshall
UTEP at UNT -23
My Pick: UNT
Army at Air Force -17
My Pick: Air Force
MTSU -3 at Charlotte
My Pick: MTSU
UNLV at Colorado State -7.5
My Pick: CSU
Miami at Florida State -3
My Pick: Miami
TCU at Oklahoma State -2.5
My Pick: TCU
Rutgers at Illinois -20
My Pick: Illinois
Wofford at Clemson -46.5
My Pick: Clemson
9 Utah -3 at Washington
My Pick: Utah
Mississippi State -7.5 at Arkansas
My Pick: Mississippi State
FAU at WKU -1.5
My Pick: FAU
Pittsburgh -7.5 at Georgia Tech
My Pick: Pitt
Tulsa at Tulane -10.5
My Pick: Tulane
Oregon State at Arizona -6
My Pick: Arizona
Texas State at Louisiana -23
My Pick: Cajuns
Ole Miss at 11 Auburn -18.5
My Pick: Auburn
17 Cincinnati -24 at ECU
My Pick: ECU
UAB at Tennessee -13
My Pick: Tennessee
Northwestern at Indiana -10
My Pick: Indiana
15 SMU at 24 Memphis -5
My Pick: Memphis
Vanderbilt at South Carolina -15
My Pick: South Carolina
Virginia at UNC -1.5
My Pick: UNC
7 Oregon -4 at USC
My Pick: Oregon
Colorado at UCLA -6.5
My Pick: UCLA
BYU at Utah State -3
My Pick: Utah State
21 Boise State -17 at San Jose State
My Pick: Boise State
New Mexico at Nevada -3.5
My Pick: New Mexico
This is the game I’m the least sure of!
Fresno State at Hawaii -2
My Pick: Hawaii
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